Monday, December 10, 2012

The 2day announcers a brave and responsible front

The best thing that Mel Grieg and Michael Christian could have done was to show that they have learnt a very harsh lesson about the power they have within their grasp as Radio announcers on a public radio station. They did. They did not make money from this appearance.
While they both are broken and shattered by this experience, it will hopefully make them better and more compassionate individuals who have gained a deeper and enduring respect for the responsibility of their roles as announcers. I even hope that eventually they will be given another chance to work in Radio. I think, they are better people because of what they have endured over the last few days.

Unfortunately not so a senior writer at The Age Michael Idato. His piece entitled ACA wins battle of the DJs is disgusting. It focusses purely on the numbers who watched the show. There is no moral lesson to be gained there for Michael whose focus is on the sensational aspect of the 'battle' between ACA and Today Tonight. Aha, this number watched ACA in Sydney and Melbourne as opposed to Today Tonight. Who really cares, Michael, except some twat of a senior writer of the Age. You are shallow, and in fact, you have not depth at all. With you, there is no water, just dirt.
He is not capable of any real reflection about what this means for us all, but states the obvious and I quote the conclusion of his pathetic article:

During both interviews the pair appeared to be in an extremely brittle state. Really Michael, you expected them to be cheery little chums, did you?

Both apologised for the prank, in which they telephoned the King Edward VII Hospital, pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles and blagged a nurse into talking about the Duchess of Cambridge's condition.

At different points of the interviews, both DJs broke down.

And this is the extent of Michael Idato's brilliant analysis? Wow, so much for interpretive skills and analysis from supposedly one of the senior writers of a leading print media organisation? People got their knickers all knotted up about the letter that was fired off to the 2day Radio people from the head of the hospital in the UK and became huffy because 'Just who do they think we are? Bloody clotty uncivilised colonials?' Well, have I got news for you! We are just that and this incident just proves it. We all need to lift our game and be more civilised, mannered and have a eye and ear to the consequences of what we write, where we write it and how.

Really Michael? That is what it is all about? Numbers of viewers. Not the content of the shows, what lesson we are learning here, but purely numbers of viewers? That is the only reason you think that these two went on TV. I thought it was to make a public apology and to say to the world, 'We are deeply and honestly sorry for the pain and suffering caused to a family and to the woman who so tragically felt she had to take her life to escape the shame.' I think the two young people understand the world and consequences so much better and will be in future more sensitive and understanding of the damage that they can do with pranks. Yes, there are pranks, but pranks without the consent of all participants becomes bullying and degradation. In this world, we should be above that. To shame a person is in Judaism like causing the death of a person and in this case, unfortunately, a beautiful, sensitive and caring professional was shamed into taking her life. Never forget that. To reduce it down to just numbers watching a show, now that is pathetic. Maybe one of the two announcers could make a career in print journalism. They could get rid of Michael Idato and he could carve out a career writing bad novels. Give Mel Grieg or Michael Christian his job and they could not probably do it better than he ever will.

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